78 KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



son's take was shipped to Hon. R. D. Hume, Wedderburn, Greg., to 

 be hatched and liberated by him in the Rogue River at that point. 

 The balance of the eggs hatched at the station with a loss of 11.10 per 

 cent, and on December 14 the first plant of frj^ was made. Early in 

 the winter an effort was made to feed a lot of 100,000 in the rearing- 

 tanks, but by January 26 the weather became so cold that it was 

 impossible to keep the water running and the fry were liberated. 

 Plants of fry were made from time to time during the winter, though 

 as many as could be accommodated were retained for rearing to the 

 fingerling stage, the last of them being released on May 22. The food 

 giA-en these fish consisted entirel}" of canned salmon, and they seemed 

 to thrive on it until they were about 2 months old, after which time 

 they began dying in large numbers and were immediately distributed. 



The Elk Creek Substation was again operated for the collection of 

 eggs of the steelhead and silver salmon. A dam 125 feet long and 10 

 to 15 feet wide was constructed in the creek about a mile from the 

 hatchery, the old location 10 miles above the station having been 

 abandoned, as it was found that a large number of the fish spawned 

 before reaching that point. The dam was very solidly built of logs 

 and rocks, with false and solid aprons alternating. The false aprons 

 were filled with rock to give the necessary weight, and around one end 

 of the dam a 4-foot channel was blasted and a trap placed in it. Toward 

 the center of the dam were bowlders, around which the fish jumped, 

 and it was found that by putting a slide upon some of these the fish 

 would fall into it and be carried into the trap on the opposite end of 

 the dam. Only one trap was in operation at the opening of the season, 

 but later the number was increased to three. A series of substantial 

 live-pens was constructed above the dam. 



Between the 18th of November and 6th of December 500,000 silver 

 salmon eggs were taken from 268 females. These hatched with a loss 

 of 63,000 eggs, and in April 424,530 fry were deposited in the Rogue 

 River at Trail, Oreg. 



The steelhead work opened February 18, but the conditions early in 

 the season were all unfavorable. There was a scarcity of males, and 

 in many instances it was necessary to impregnate the eggs of several 

 females with the milt of a not fully matured male. The weather was 

 also cold and rain}^ and the water higher than normal. At the close of 

 the season — May 11 — the total collections amounted to 617,000. The 

 number of ripe females used was 290. As soon as the eggs had developed 

 sufficiently 481,000 were shipped on assignment, one case of 25,000 

 being forwarded to an applicant in Germany. The loss on the 126,000 

 eggs retained for hatching was very heavy, only 20,250 fry resulting 

 from them. These were released in the Rogue River on May 29. 

 The method of taking and fertilizing the eggs was the same as in pre- 

 vious years, and the heavy mortality during incubation is attributed 

 to the unfavorable conditions existing during the collecting season. 



